Austin Powers : L'Espion qui m'a tirée

Picture this: you're home with your friends or family and you have to pick a film. Nothing's really looking good and you just want to stick something on to have a good laugh. Here comes, the Austin Powers trilogy! Out of the three films, this one is one of the funnier instalments. Mike Myers gives a great performance as always, and Rob Lowe gives a great performance (although a very short one). I love the British 60's vibe, since I'm a big vintage fan. It's a good film to put on when you're having a bad day and just need a laugh. No wonder Austin Powers is such an icon nowadays!

Some people don't think AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY was worthy of a sequel. Some think there should be a large series of AUSTIN POWERS movies, like the infamous Bond movies. Trust me, I'm kinda sick of everyone doing impressions of Austin Powers and Dr. Evil, (and I do one fine Dr. Evil if I do say so myself, even though both are easy to impersonate), but I thought AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME was even better than the first one. So if you asked me if there should be a series of AUSTIN POWERS movies, and I wasn't so sick of all those impersonations, I might say "Yeah baby!"

Austin Powers (Mike Myers) is sent back to 1969 by Basil Exposition (Michael York) to stop Dr. Evil (Mike Myers) who has stolen Austin Powers' "mojo" and plans to build a giant laser on the movie and destroy all major cities on Earth. In the sixties, Austin Powers meets Felicity Shagwell (Heather Graham), who is just as sexy and hip as Austin is. Scott Evil (Seth Green) is still trying to work out things with his father, even though Dr. Evil has turned his attention to his clone in 1/10 size, Mini-Me (Verne Troyer). Number Two (Robert Wagner, then Rob Lowe), Frau Farbissina (Mindy Sterling) and Mustafa (Will Ferrell) all return to help Dr. Evil, in addition to Fat Bastard (Mike Myers), the disgusting, overweight, Scottish henchman.

Let's face is, Austin Powers has never been about plot. Considering that this movie is basically a spoof of OUR MAN FLINT and the JAMES BOND movies, the plot is pretty entertaining and funny. The giant laser on the moon was great, obviously spoofing MOONRAKER, in addition to many other movies of its type.

The acting in this movie is all very good. Mike Myers does a great job playing three very different characters. Heather Graham beats the crap out of Elizabeth Hurley (not literally in this movie, but how cool would that be) and is way sexier in my book. Seth Green and Mindy Sterling are great, especially when together. Will Ferrell was one of my favorite performers and characters in this movie. Robert Wagner is good, but his role is taken over by Rob Lowe after they go back in time. Lowe does an unbelievable job and is almost exactly like Wagner was as the character. Michael York does a fairly good job too. There are some great cameos by names like Clint Howard, Tim Robbins, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Kristen Johnston and Jerry Springer.

Unlike in AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY, there is great character development. This first AUSTIN POWERS movie did a good job laying a foundation for these characters, but this movie really set them off. Dr. Evil stole the show, which is great because he is obviously the best character. Austin Powers, Number Two and Basil are about the same as in the first one. Felicity is way more interesting and sexier than Hurley was. Frau is much more interesting in this movie, as is Scott who is still saying "Why don't you just kill them?" to his father. Mustafa, who you might not even remember from the first one, is hilarious in this movie. Mini-Me was fun, but in the next AUSTIN POWERS movie, it shouldn't revolve around him as much. Fat Bastard is my least favorite character and I hope he isn't in the next AUSTIN POWERS movie.

Go see this one, you won't regret it. It sure won't win any Oscars, but it's one of the funniest movies of the year. Turn your brain off and enjoy it!

Hilarious return to the international man of mystery with this non stop laugh ride of a film with Myers doing it again as Austin, Dr. Evil and a new character named Fat Bastard. There are many funny moments in the film especially the Scott/Dr. Evil episode of Jerry Springer and the emergence of Mini-Me, perfectly played by Verne Troyer. The laughs are constant. You'll laugh so hard, you'll have a headache when you leave the theater.

The follow-up to 1997's Austin Powers:International Man of Mystery was probably not a certainty form the get-go:if I recall correctly,the first Austin Powers was NOT the smashing success of a box-office film that many involved initially imagined,and had it not been for a strong reaction from video and DVD renters,the franchise may've stopped at one. Since I happened to enjoy the first one(saw it on video BTW),I can honestly say that while the sequels seemed to have depreciating value,I'm still glad that Myers and company went ahead with the follow-ups.

Now acclimated to the '90s,Austin(Myers,who else?)is about to settle into wedded bliss when he's attacked in his honeymoon suite by a legion of Fembots,given marching orders by a refugeed Dr.Evil(Myers,see previous ref). It seems that Evil's back trying to destroy the free world,this time with the aid of a time machine of his own making. Of course,the British secret service ALSO has a time machine(of course),and Austin races through time to stop Evil's plans,this time with the help of one Felicity Shagwell(Heather Graham,beautiful,sexy,game,and yet somehow out of her element here),an American NOC agent from the year 1969.

A whole series,moving almost in waves,of sight-gags,verbal plays and yet more homages to Bond and Bond-type movies of the '60s,basically keeps the continuity of the original going seamlessly. Much of the cast from the last movie-- particularly Robert Wagner as the chief Hench,Seth Green as sullen son Scott Evil,Mindy Sterling as Frau FArbissima,Michael York as Basil Exposition and Will Ferrell as Mustafa the Assassin(who must be asked the same question THREE times in order to get information. One of my favorite gags from the movie)--are back,supplemented by Rob Lowe as the younger Number Two,Verne Troyer as Evil's identical clone,one-tenth his size and Myers again as Fat Bastard,a Scotish assassin with a violent temper who weighs a metric ton(I think I'm paraphrasing there),among others. Cameos by(among others) Burt Bacharach(as from the previous film)and Elvis Costello are added to give the film it's small slice of romanticism. Jay Roach returns to direct this one,and he,as usual,is near transparent in allowing Myers(not only star and co-producer but also screenwriter)to pretty much take this film as high,low,far,close,loud,soft and whatever as he fancies. While the original's flavor seems to be getting steadily diluted by the "franchise effect" of sequels(in other words,the effect that kind of makes a movie more of a "product" than a piece of entertainment),it still has the same sass,cheeky humor and fun to keep it quite enjoyable.

... Yeah baby yeah

I didn't watch the original Austin Powers INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY down to the fact that there's been more than enough Bond spoofs made over the years like those movies in the 1980s that starred Roger Moore . What ? they were actually official Bond movies ! Oh dear , I honestly thought they were spoofs and how do you spoof a spoof ? CASINO ROYALE tried it and failed while those movies that featured THE MAN FROM UNCLE are so dated they're almost unwatchable and lets not forget those awful Matt Helm movies . Come to think of it a comedy like THE PARTY that pokes fun at 1960s youth counter culture also feel very dated a surrogate Bond figure transported from the 1960s doesn't hold much appeal to me baby

However I was very surprised as to how much I enjoyed THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME down to the fact it's far more sophisticated than I expected . There's umpteen references to other TV shows and movies that IMDb die hards can enjoy . There's an edition of THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW ( Complete with bouncers Todd and Steve ) which could have easily have been a proper edition than a send up , there's a set stolen from crap 60s series THE TIME TUNNEL , a scene stolen from THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU , a fight scene very reminiscent of the dog attack from THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY . I could go on listing all the movie and TV connections but I won't bother except to say that the plot of this movie is merged with the plots of YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE and MOONRAKER

The aforementioned elements will certainly appeal to the film buffs while the bad taste jokes will appeal to the teenage market . I wasn't all that taken with the character of Fat Bastard or the fart jokes or the scene with " This coffee tastes like sh*t " but it's refreshing to see a movie comedy that does try to mix post modernist sophistication with gross out humour , JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK probably tried this but totally failed . Also naming characters with double entrede names like Felicity Shagwell and Robin Spitz Swallows might be crass but film fans will remember the Bond movies also had similarly named characters like Miss Goodthighs ( " So I can see " ) and Plenty O Toole ( " Of course you do " ) so I guess this is also an amalgamation between schoolboy humour and sophistication

THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME is hardly Oscar material but is very entertaining